Cooking utensil cover



June 13, 1950 r! I II III R. c. ALLEN 2,511,682

COOKING UTENSIL COVER Filed April 29, 1949 INVENTOR. RUSSELL C. ALLEN ATTORNEY Patented June 13, 1950 Thepresent invention relates tocooking utensil:

covers used For cooking aswell -asbrowning thefood. In order to most efficiently brown food; a 'certain amount ofmoisture-must be removed,

in a proportional time requiredto. cook the Foods such as: steaks, chops, hamburgers,

potatoes or the browning oi stoch for gravy may be cited-as good examplessfor illustration; one

trys to try steals witha closed cover'it'fwouldtnot. become brown in-a reasonable time and would? be more or lesssimilar to a steamed. or stewed process.

"With my: improved 'cookingautensil cover, when the foods-are iriedimoilor fats, thagreaserand fatsareprevented from escaping: and collecting:

on the stove, fixture or walls ofthearoomgfinever theless: prepared flood will beibetter-thanl when. prepared: in an open pant Novel featurestof ray-invention include what I call an eliminator which may be attached to the under side of the cover for producing a closed lid T nts .member,, .whenrusod toreliminating purposes is secured concentricallyon upper side of the, lid with a very. small centralv contacting surface on the lid, so as to maintain a low temperature of this member, whereby when it is; contacted by-the escaping steamand vapor it will be condensed as it. impingesrtheunder surface of the eliminator-and before entering the room Duet tbeshapeand lower temperature-otthe eliminator, the steam and vapor is blanketed under the large concaved surface of the eliminator causing the vapor to travel slowly and the condensate to collect under and on the eliminator thus to physically trap as condensate a large percentage of the vapor and odor that otherwise would escape into the room.

If the steam and vapor were allowed to escape too rapidly and at too high a temperature the fine particles of grease and odors would float into the room where they would settle on the stove, walls and furniture in the room.

The principal object of my invention i to trap the steam or vapor before it reaches the room and to largely prevent odors from escaping into the room; therefore I provide a number of relatively large openings in the lid which are positioned concentric with the lid and substantially under the concave surface of the eliminator, the outer surface of the eliminator being spaced a considerable distance above the lid so the vapor etc., will pass slowly out of the pan and into the concave surface of the eliminator and from under the periphery of the eliminator.

I consider the next above statements as out- 2. lining the basic function of my device which-is made possible because of the lower temperatureof theeliminator and the slow'movement or the vapor as it passe out of the pan, impinges the eliminator andthenescapes irom under-the edgeoi -the eliminator;

To these and other useful ends my invention consists-ofparts; combinations of parts or their equivalents andmode of operation as hereinafter describedand claimed and shown in the ac-- companying drawings in which:

I isatransverse sectional view of my improved cooking utensil cover and positioned on a frying-or stewingpan.

2" is a transverse sectional" view of my improved cooking utensil cover with the-eliminator attached to the underside of the'cover for closing athe-outlets in the cover.

Fig. B -is a fractional top View of the coverand' eliminator as shown in Figure 1.

Fig. :4 isa top view of the holding washer and Figure-5 is a side view of the-washer as shown in Figure-4'.

As thus illustrated, H] designates a frying orstewing pan; Numeral I I designates the base portion 01' my improved lid which is shaped as illustrated inthefigures, the periphery of this member being tormedinthe shapeillustrated in Figures 1 and 2', wherein an annular depression It isprovided with a fiat annular-surface l3 which lies on the top edge of member H! as illustrated in Figure 1. Thus any liquid material that may collect on the top of member II will be trapped in groove I2.

I provide preferably six concentrically positioned openings M in member II having a diameter about as illustrated relative to the size of member I! with upturned edges 15, whereby accumulation of liquid on the top of member II will not drain back into the pan but will flow into depression I2. I provide a composition handle 16 having moulded therein a threaded sleeve I1. I also provide two Washers l8l8 having openings IS in their centers so they may be attached to member II by means of a screw 20 as clearly illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. Members [8 are preferably provided with two offset ears 2| having a shape as illustrated in the figures.

I provide an eliminator 25 with an opening 26 therein adapted to fit loosely around members l8 and having preferably cut away portions 21 which are slightly larger than. projections 2| so member 25 may be placed in the position shown in either Figure 1 or 2. When member 25 is in the position shown in Figure 2, the peripheral surface of this member is adapted to fit snugly against the under surface of member ll, thus making a closed cover. When member 25 is in the position shown in Figure 1 it will be seen that there is a large concave annular surface 28 positioned around and over openings I4 and a distance therefrom and a large annular opening 29 is also provided.

The relatively small contact of member 25 with member I! and the large area of this member exposed to the atmosphere, tends to maintain a relatively low temperature, a temperature which will readily condense vapor or steam as it passes through openings 14 and contacts the under sur face of member 25.

Thus member 25 will condense and prevent vapor and steam from escaping into the room and collect the condensate on the under surface of member 25. As the steam or vapor is condensed and collected on this under surface it may drop on member H and find its Way into annular depression or trench I2. The condensate on surface 28 and member II will tend to collect or absorb any minute particles that cause odors. Thus as has been proven by many practical tests, the major portion of the minute particles that cause vapor and odors will be trapped by the condensate, thus to reduce the presence of odors and vapor in the room to a minimum It will be seen by scrutinizing Figures 1 and 2 that members I6 and I8 may be easily removed from member ll, if it is desired to thoroughly clean these members; that applicants lid may be closed by reversing member 25 as shown and described and that the device is suitable for use as a lid for stewing or frying pans or for other purposes, and that applicants design is simple, easily manufactured at low cost and that it oocupies a minimum space when stored.

It will be understood that minor detail changes may be made in the designs shown without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as recited in the appended claims.

Having thus shown and described my invention, I claim:

1. A lid for a cooking utensil having a number of relatively large openings therein and arranged concentrically in spaced relation and positioned a considerable distance from the cen- 4 ter of the lid, a handle secured to the center of the lid, an eliminator and means for detachably mounting the eliminator concentrically on the lid and having a diameter which is greater than one half the diameter of the lid, the area of the contacting surfaces between the eliminator and lid being relatively small, said eliminator having a relatively large annular concave under surface positioned over and a distance above said openings, the area of the surface between the periphery of said concave and the lid being equal to the total area of said lid openings, said eliminator mounting comprising a relatively small washer havin a number of ofiset projections on its periphery, a handle with means for holding the washer onthe top of the lid, an opening in said eliminator slightly larger than said washer, cutaway portions in the opening in the eliminator slightly larger than the projections on the washers, wherebyv the lid may be positioned around the washer and locked into position by being turned.

2. A device as recited in claim 1 including, an-,-

other washer similar to the first washer beingreversed and positioned under the lid and secured thereto by means of said handle fastening, whereby the eliminator may be reversed and attached to the underside of the lid, the shape of the lid andeliminator adapted to cause the periphery of the eliminator to hug the underside of the lid for closing said lid outlets.

3. A device as recited in claim 1 including, the outer periphery of said lid havin a fiat annular surface adapted to lie on" the top of the cooking utensil, an annular depression adjacent said flat surface forming a trench for trappin any liquid that may form on the top of the lid.

' RUSSELL C. ALLEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,149,289 Post et al Aug. 10, 1915 1,961,571 Robinson June 5, 1934 2,415,613 Sulak Feb. 11, 1947 2,428,894 Serio Oct. 14, 1947 

